Written by
Delmira Agustini |
SpanishVagos preludios.
En la noche espléndidaSu voz de perlas una fuente calla,Cuelgan las brisas sus celestes pifanosEn el follaje.
Las cabezas pardasDe los búhos acechan.
Las flores se abren más, como asombradas.
Los cisnes de marfil tienden los cuellosEn las lagunas pálidas.
Selene mira del azul.
Las frondasTiemblan… y todo! hasta el silencio, calla…Es que ella pasa con su boca tristeY el gran misterio de sus ojos de ámbar,A través de la noche, hacia el olvido,Como una estrella fugitiva y blanca.
Como una destronada reina exóticaDe bellos gestos y palabras raras.
Horizontes violados sus ojerasDentro sus ojos–dos estrellas de ámbar–Se abren cansados y húmedos y tristesComo llagas de luz que quejaran.
Es un dolor que vive y que no espera,Es una aurora gris que se levantaDel gran lecho de sombras de la noche,Cansada ya, sin esplendor, sin ansiasY sus canciones son como hadas tristesAlhajadas de lágrimas… EnglishMurmuring preludes.
On this resplendent nightHer pearled voice quiets a fountain.
The breezes hang their celestial fifesIn the foliage.
The gray headsOf the owls keep watch.
Flowers open themselves, as if surprised.
Ivory swans extend their necksIn the pallid lakes.
Selene watches from the blue.
FrondsTremble…and everything! Even the silence, quiets.
She wanders with her sad mouthAnd the grand mystery of amber eyes,Across the night, toward forgetfulnessLike a star, fugitive and white.
Like a dethroned exotic queenWith comely gestures and rare utterings.
Her undereyes are violated horizonsAnd her irises–two stars of amber–Open wet and weary and sadLike ulcers of light that weep.
She is a grief which thrives and does not hope,She is a gray aurora risingFrom the shadowy bed of night,Exhausted, without splendor, without anxiousness.
And her songs are like dolorous fairiesJeweled in teardrops… The strings of lyres Are the souls' fibers.
–The blood of bitter vineyards, noble vineyards,In goblets of regal beauty, risesTo her marble hands, to lips carvedLike the blazon of a great lineage.
Strange Princes of Fantasy! TheyHave seen her languid head, once erect,And heard her laugh, for her eyesTremble with the flower of aristocracies!And her soul clean as fire, like a star,Burns in those pupils of amber.
But with a mere glance, scarcely an intimacy,Perhaps the echo of a profane voice,This white and pristine soul shrinksLike a luminous flower, folding herself up!
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Written by
Marriott Edgar |
Would you hear a Wild tale of adventure
Of a hero who tackled the sea,
A super-man swimming the ocean,
Then hark to the tale of Joe Lee.
Our Channel, our own Straits of Dover
Had heen swum by an alien lot:
Our British-born swimmers had tried it,
But that was as far as they'd got.
So great was the outcry in England,
Darts Players neglected their beer,
And the Chanc'Ior proclaimed from the Woolsack
As Joe Lee were the chap for this 'ere.
For in swimming baths all round the country
Joe were noted for daring and strength;
Quite often he'd dived in the deep end,
And thought nothing of swimming a length.
So they wrote him, C/o Workhouse Master,
Joe were spending the summer with him,
And promised him two Christmas puddings
If over the Channel he'd swim.
Joe jumped into t' breach like an 'ero,
He said, "All their fears I'll relieve,
And it isn't their puddings I'm after,
As I told them last Christmas Eve.
"Though many have tackled the Channel
From Grisnez to Dover that is,
For the honour and glory of England
I'll swim from Dover to Gris-niz.
"
As soon as his words were made public
The newspapers gathered around
And offered to give him a pension
If he lost both his legs and got drowned.
He borrowed a tug from the Navy
To swim in the shelter alee,
The Wireless folk lent him a wavelength,
And the Water Board lent him the sea.
His wife strapped a mascot around him,
The tears to his eyes gently stole;
'Twere some guiness corks she had collected
And stitched to an old camisole.
He entered the water at daybreak,
A man with a camera stood near,
He said "Hurry up and get in, lad,
You're spoiling my view of the pier.
"
At last he were in, he were swimming
With a beautiful overarm stroke,
When the men on the tug saw with horror
That the rope he were tied to had broke.
Then down came a fog, thick as treacle,
The tug looked so distant and dim
A voice shouted "Help, I am drowning,"
Joe listened and found it were him.
The tug circled round till they found him,
They hauled him aboard like a sack,
Tied a new tow-rope around him,
Smacked him and then threw him back.
'Twere at sunset, or just a bit later,
That he realized all wasn't right,
For the tow-rope were trailing behind him
And the noose round his waist getting tight.
One hasty glance over his shoulder,
He saw in a flash what were wrong.
The Captain had shut off his engine,
Joe were towing the Tugboat along.
On and on through the darkness he paddled
Till he knew he were very near in
By the way he kept bumping the bottom
And hitting the stones with his chin.
Was it Grisniz he'd reached?.
.
.
No, it wasn't,
The treacherous tide in its track
Had carried him half-way to Blackpool
And he had to walk all the way back.
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Written by
Federico García Lorca |
El campo
de olivos
se abre y se cierra
como un abanico.
Sobre el olivar
hay un cielo hundido
y una lluvia oscura
de luceros fr?os.
Tiembla junco y penumbra
a la orilla del r?o.
Se riza el aire gris.
Los olivos,
est?n cargados
de gritos.
Una bandada
de p?jaros cautivos,
que mueven sus largu?simas
colas en lo sombr?o.
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Written by
Delmira Agustini |
SpanishLa princesita hipsipilo, la vibrátil filigrana,—Princesita ojos turquesas esculpida en porcelana—Llamó una noche a mi puerta con sus manitas de lis.
Vibró el cristal de su voz como una flauta galana.
—Yo sé que tu vida es gris.
Yo tengo el alma de rosa, frescuras de flor temprana, Vengo de un bello país A ser tu musa y tu hermana!—Un abrazo de alabastro…luego en el clavel sonoroDe su boca, miel suavísima; nube de perfume y oroLa pomposa cabellera me inundó como un diluvio.
O miel, frescuras, perfumes!…Súbito el sueño, la sombraQue embriaga.
.
Y, cuando despierto, el sol que alumbra en mi alfombraUn falso rubí muy rojo y un falso rizo muy rubio! EnglishThe amazonian little princess, a vibratile filagree,—Turquoise eyes sculpted of porcelain, little princess—Called one night at my door with her small hands of iris.
And the trilling crystal of her voice was like an elegant flute: —I know your life is gray.
I have the soul of a rose, the dew of budding flowers, I come from a beautiful country To be your sister and muse!—.
An arm of alabaster…then, in the sonorous carnationOf her mouth, softest honey; in a cloud of gold and perfumeShe surrounded me, brash horsewoman, like a deluge.
Oh honey, freshness, perfumer!…The sudden dream, the shadowWhich intoxicates…and when I wake, the sun that falls on my carpetIn a false ruby very red, and a false ringlet very blond.
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Written by
Federico García Lorca |
Largo espectro de plata conmovida
el viento de la noche suspirando,
abri? con mano gris mi vieja herida
y se alej?: yo estaba deseando.
Llaga de amor que me dar? la vida
perpetua sangre y pura luz brotando.
Grieta en que Filomela enmudecida
tendr? bosque, dolor y nido blando.
?Ay qu? dulce rumor en mi cabeza!
Me tender? junto a la flor sencilla
donde flota sin alma tu belleza.
Y el agua errante se pondr? amarilla,
mientras corre mi sangre en la maleza
mojada y olorosa de la orilla.
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Written by
Federico García Lorca |
Voces de muerte sonaron
cerca del Guadalquivir.
Voces antiguas que cercan
voz de clavel varonil.
Les clav? sobre las botas
mordiscos de jabal?.
En la lucha daba saltos
jabonados de delf?n.
Ba?o con sangre enemiga
su corbata carmes?,
pero eran cuatro pu?ales
y tuvo que sucumbir.
Cuando las estrellas clavan
rejones al agua gris,
cuando los erales sue?an
ver?nicas de alhel?,
voces de muerte sonaron
cerca del Guadalquivir.
Antonio Torres Heredia,
Camborio de dura crin,
moreno de verde luna,
voz de clavel varonil:
?qui?n te ha quitado la vida
cerca del Guadalquivir?
Mis cuatro primos Heredias
hijos de Benamej?.
Lo que en otros no envidiaban,
ya lo envidiaban en m?.
Zapatos color corinto,
medallones de marfil,
y este cutis amasado
con aceituna y jazm?n.
?Ay Anto?ito el Camborio,
digno de una Emperatriz!
Acu?rate de la Virgen
porque te vas a morir.
?Ay Federico Garc?a,
llama a la Guardia Civil!
Ya mi talle se ha quebrado
como ca?a de ma?z.
Tres golpes de sangre tuvo
y se muri? de perfil.
Viva moneda que nunca
se volver? a repetir.
Un ?ngel marchoso pone
su cabeza en un coj?n.
Otros de rubor cansado,
encendieron un candil.
Y cuando los cuatro primos
llegan a Benamej?,
voces de muerte cesaron
cerca del Guadalquivir.
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Written by
Robert Herrick |
THE APPARITION OF HIS, MISTRESS,
CALLING HIM TO ELYSIUM
DESUNT NONNULLA--
Come then, and like two doves with silvery wings,
Let our souls fly to th' shades, wherever springs
Sit smiling in the meads; where balm and oil,
Roses and cassia, crown the untill'd soil;
Where no disease reigns, or infection comes
To blast the air, but amber-gris and gums.
This, that, and ev'ry thicket doth transpire
More sweet than storax from the hallow'd fire;
Where ev'ry tree a wealthy issue bears
Of fragrant apples, blushing plums, or pears;
And all the shrubs, with sparkling spangles, shew
Like morning sun-shine, tinselling the dew.
Here in green meadows sits eternal May,
Purfling the margents, while perpetual day
So double-gilds the air, as that no night
Can ever rust th' enamel of the light:
Here naked younglings, handsome striplings, run
Their goals for virgins' kisses; which when done,
Then unto dancing forth the learned round
Commix'd they meet, with endless roses crown'd.
And here we'll sit on primrose-banks, and see
Love's chorus led by Cupid; and we'll he
Two loving followers too unto the grove,
Where poets sing the stories of our love.
There thou shalt hear divine Musaeus sing
Of Hero and Leander; then I'll bring
Thee to the stand, where honour'd Homer reads
His Odyssees and his high Iliads;
About whose throne the crowd of poets throng
To hear the incantation of his tongue:
To Linus, then to Pindar; and that done,
I'll bring thee, Herrick, to Anacreon,
Quaffing his full-crown'd bowls of burning wine,
And in his raptures speaking lines of thine,
Like to his subject; and as his frantic
Looks shew him truly Bacchanalian like,
Besmear'd with grapes,--welcome he shall thee thither,
Where both may rage, both drink and dance together.
Then stately Virgil, witty Ovid, by
Whom fair Corinna sits, and doth comply
With ivory wrists his laureat head, and steeps
His eye in dew of kisses while he sleeps.
Then soft Catullus, sharp-fang'd Martial,
And towering Lucan, Horace, Juvenal,
And snaky Persius; these, and those whom rage,
Dropt for the jars of heaven, fill'd, t' engage
All times unto their frenzies; thou shalt there
Behold them in a spacious theatre:
Among which glories, crown'd with sacred bays
And flatt'ring ivy, two recite their plays,
Beaumont and Fletcher, swans, to whom all ears
Listen, while they, like sirens in their spheres,
Sing their Evadne; and still more for thee
There yet remains to know than thou canst see
By glimm'ring of a fancy; Do but come,
And there I'll shew thee that capacious room
In which thy father, Jonson, now is placed
As in a globe of radiant fire, and graced
To be in that orb crown'd, that doth include
Those prophets of the former magnitude,
And he one chief.
But hark! I hear the cock,
The bell-man of the night, proclaim the clock
Of late struck One; and now I see the prime
Of day break from the pregnant east:--'tis time
I vanish:--more I had to say,
But night determines here;(Away!
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